The fourth episode of Joko Anwar‘s Nightmares and Daydreams moves back towards the style of Asian horror (I should say ASEAN actually), while in contrast to the previous ones that took present in the present or close past, it transfers us to1985.
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Wahyu is an unlucky guy. He was abandoned by his mother as a child, but he still thinks he can go to Saudi Arabia and live with her, along with his wife, who feels sympathetic towards his wishes, but has her doubts. The two seem to be in love, but as the story begins, Wahyu hears rumors of her flirting with another local from the slum they live in. The locals make a living by picking up sea oysters and he seems to be quite good at it, but he is also frequently bullied by another local, Rusman, who truly despises him. It is when more tragedy befalls him though, that an angel comes to see him, and he manages to take a photo of the creature. The villagers start believing he is sort of a Messiah, and even turn to him when a security force sent by contractors to kick them out of the area reach the slum.
Ray Farandy Pakpahan directs an episode where the horror does not come from the supernatural that much, but mostly from actual people. Rusman, for example, and his knack for violence is a constantly fearful presence, particularly for Wahyu, who does seem, though, to fear everything around him. The presence of the contractors and the danger of forced relocation they pose is a constant for the people of the slum, which does become quite palpable towards the end of the episode. Lastly, the fear of being poor and hopeless forever, stranded in a piece of land no one actually wants to live in, concludes this approach here, in a rather intelligent fashion. The concept of the messiah and some varying comments about how religion works, also deriving from the role of the local ustad, cement the rich context here.
Regarding the series as a whole, the concept of motherhood is found here once more, as in the previous episodes actually, while the fact that the episodes are not as disconnected as they seemed in the beginning, also becomes evident, especially since this one does not have a definite ending either. Also of note here is the fact that Joko Anwar is present in the role of the leader of the people who come to oust the locals, while the mention of old Indonesian movies again, adds a very appealing fanservice element.
The acting in general is on a very high level. Lukman Sardi as Wahyu is exceptional as the archetype of the timid, ‘poor guy’ with him retaining an impressive sense of measure throughout the 57 minutes of the episode. Teuku Rifnu Wikana as Rusman is also great as a ‘grey’ persona, whose faults are as many as his traits, even if for a large part of the episode, he carries the role of the villain.
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Ical Tanjung’s cinematography captures the rundown setting of the slums with realism, although the visuals, with the accompaniment of SFX, finds their apogee in the last scenes of the episode. Dinda Amanda and Joko Anwar’s editing result in a relatively fast pace, which allows the rather rich story to unfold nicely in the duration of an episode.
“Joko Anwar’s Nightmares and Daydreams – Encounter” is an excellent episode, one that definitely has the quality of a movie, with the quality of the series actually increasing the more one watches each segment.
